被貓咬傷後鮮爲人知的危險大綱

Diana Briske will never forget the day Snuggles attacked.

62歲的戴安娜・布瑞思克(Diana Briske)是明尼蘇達州羅切斯特市(Rochester)的一位退休人士，她永遠也不會忘記斯納 絲(Snuggles)傷人的那一天。

The calico cat was getting her regular evening petting when she suddenly bit into Ms. Briske's right hand. The wound didn't bleed, so Ms. Briske simply washed it out. The next morning, though, her hand was swollen and painful. She went to a doctor, who sent her directly to the emergency room.

那天晚上，這隻花斑貓在像平常一樣接受主人愛撫的時候，突然咬住了戴安娜的右手。當時傷口並沒有流血，所以戴安娜就簡單用水沖洗了下。但到了第二天早上，她的手就又腫又痛。戴安娜去看了醫生，醫生直接把她送進了急診室。

Ms. Briske spent 10 days in the hospital, where surgeons repeatedly drained and cleaned the injury. 'I never dreamed in a thousand years I'd need hand surgery' from a cat bite, said the 62-year-old retiree from Rochester, Minn.

戴安娜在醫院住了10天，那裏的外科醫生反覆爲她的傷口膿腫引流並進行清理。她說：“我這一輩子做夢也沒想到，就因爲被貓咬了一次，我竟然需要做手部手術。”

A new study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic has found that of 193 patients who came in for cat bites on their hands over a three-year period, 30% had to be hospitalized for an average stay of 3.2 days. Most of those admitted, like Ms. Briske, needed their wounds surgically cleaned to eliminate infections, according to the study, published this month in the Journal of Hand Surgery.

梅奧診所(Mayo Clinic)研究人員進行的一項新研究發現，在三年的時間裏，193名因手部被貓咬傷而前來就診的病人中，有30%的人不得不住院治療，其平均住院時間爲3.2天。該研究論文於本月發表在《手外科雜誌》(Journal of Hand Surgery)上，論文還稱，大多數被收治的病人，如戴安娜，他們的傷口都需要手術清理以消除感染。

'Cat bites can be very serious, and when you do get an infection, it can be very difficult to treat,' said Brian T. Carlsen, a Mayo surgeon who was an author of the study. That's particularly true with a hand injury because of the structure of the tendons and joints, he said.

該研究的一名作者、梅奧診所的外科醫生布萊恩・T.卡爾森(Brian T. Carlsen)說：“被貓咬傷會非常嚴重，當你真的感染後，將會很難治療。”他還說，如果是手部被咬傷，因爲其肌腱和關節的結構，情況更是如此。

An estimated 45.3 million U.S. households had cats in 2012, up from 38.4 million in 2006, according to the American Pet Products Association. Pets may reduce stress in, and lift the mood of, their owners, some studies suggest. But a growing body of research, in fields ranging from psychology to parasitology, points to possible health concerns.

據美國寵物產品協會(American Pet Products Association)稱，2006年，全美有3,840萬戶家庭養了貓，這一數據在2012年估計升至4,530萬。一些研究表明，寵物可能會減少主人的壓力並改善他們的情緒。但越來越多的研究――從心理學到寄生蟲學領域――都指出了寵物可能帶來的健康問題。

Cats' sharp teeth often penetrate deeply, creating punctures that may not appear serious but can easily harbor bacteria that live in the animals' mouths. Cat bites represent around 10% to 15% of emergency-room visits tied to animal bites, according to the Mayo paper. Cat scratches can also cause infections, doctors say.

貓的尖牙經常會深深穿透被咬對象，造成一些可能看似並不嚴重的傷口，但它們卻易成爲生長在動物口中那些細菌的溫牀。梅奧診所那項研究的論文指出，在因動物咬傷而到急診室就醫的患者中，有10%到15%的人都是被貓咬傷的。醫生們還稱，被貓抓傷也會引起感染。

Dogs are involved in a far larger percentage of bite-related emergency-room visits, but they tend to pose a different type of hazard. They will often create a bigger wound, but they don't have the needlelike effect of cat bites that can plant bacteria deep in the flesh, doctors say.

在因動物咬傷而到急診室就醫的病例中，被狗咬傷佔的比例更大，遠遠超過貓傷，但狗一般會造成另一種類型的危險。醫生們說，狗咬的地方常常會形成一個更大的傷口，但它們不會像貓咬那樣具有針扎似的效果，後者會將細菌深深地“種入”肉體內。

For reasons that aren't clear, research has suggested a possible link between cat bites and human depression. David A. Hanauer, an associate professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, analyzed electronic health records of around 1.3 million patients seen by the university's health system and found that 41% of those treated for cat bites were also diagnosed at some point with depression. 'There definitely is an association there,' said Dr. Hanauer. But, he said, 'we don't know why,' and the link doesn't necessarily imply causation. The research was published in August in PLOS ONE.

研究已表明，在貓咬傷和人類抑鬱之間可能存在着某種關聯，其原因目前尚不清楚。密歇根大學醫學院(University of Michigan Medical School)副教授大衛・A.哈諾爾(David A. Hanauer)分析了由該校醫療衛生系統收治的約130萬病患的電子健康記錄，結果發現因爲貓咬傷而就診的病人中有41%的人也被診斷爲患有某種程度上的抑鬱症。哈諾爾博士說：“這其中絕對存在著有某種關聯。”但他也稱，“我們不知道原因”，而且這種關聯並不一定就意味着因果關係。這項研究的論文於去年8月份發表在《公共科學圖書館綜合卷》(PLOS ONE)上。

Cats also pick up parasites from the environment and can pass those along to people. Around 10% to 20% of people in the U.S. are infected with Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite cats can get from eating infected animals, such as rodents and birds, and then shed in their feces. It typically has little impact on healthy people. But it poses a danger to the fetuses of pregnant women, which can get a syndrome whose symptoms include blindness and mental disability, and to people with weakened immune systems, who may suffer central nervous system damage.

貓還會從外界中帶來一些寄生蟲並將其傳染給人類。在美國，大約有10%到20%的人都感染了剛地弓形蟲。如果貓進食了遭受感染的動物――如齧齒動物與鳥，貓就會染上這種寄生蟲，然後通過糞便排出。對健康的人羣而言，這一般沒什麼影響。但它卻會對孕婦肚子裏的胎兒以及那些免疫系統功能低下的人羣構成危險，前者會患上一種綜合症，其症狀包括失明與智障，而後者的中樞神經系統則可能會遭受損傷。

A number of studies in recent years have suggested a possible association between toxoplasma infections and an increased risk of serious psychological issues in humans, including schizophrenia and suicidal behavior. 'There's moderate evidence' of a link, said Robert H. Yolken, a professor at Johns Hopkins University who co-wrote a 2012 analysis examining research on toxoplasma and schizophrenia. One possible reason is that the parasite might boost the presence of the chemical dopamine in the brain, he said. Also, he said, any potential impact is likely more significant if the infection occurs at a young age.

近年來大量的研究已表明，在弓形蟲感染與人類嚴重心理問題風險攀升――包括精神分裂症和自殺行爲――兩者之間可能存在着某種關聯。約翰霍普金斯大學(Johns Hopkins University)教授羅伯特・H.約肯(Robert H. Yolken)說，“目前有一些證據”表明這種關聯的存在。約肯於2012年與他人合着了一篇探討弓形蟲與精神分裂症研究的分析。他說，一個可能的原因是，寄生蟲也許會增加大腦中化學物質多巴胺的分泌。他還稱，如果感染髮生在幼年期，任何潛在的影響都可能會更爲顯著。

Animal experts say proper precautions should minimize health risks from owning a cat. 'The presence of a cat in the house poses very little risk' for toxoplasma infection, said Jeffrey L. Jones, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People shouldn't get infected if they are careful with litter boxes and wash and thoroughly cook their own food.

動物專家們稱，適當的防護措施應該能將養貓的健康風險降至最低。美國疾病控制與預防中心(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)流行病學家傑弗裏・L.瓊斯(Jeffrey L. Jones)說：“讓一隻貓在家裏出沒幾乎不會形成（弓形蟲感染）的風險。”如果人們能夠小心地處理貓砂盆，並徹底清洗、煮熟他們自己的食物，就應該不會染上弓形蟲。

'If you practice good hygiene, you'll be fine,' said Aaron Glatt, an infectious-disease specialist who is chief administrative officer at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, N.Y.

紐約洛克維爾中心區(Rockville Centre)莫西醫學中心(Mercy Medical Center)首席行政長、傳染病學專家亞倫・格拉特(Aaron Glatt)說：“如果你能踐行良好的個人衛生習慣，就沒有問題。”

One possible health benefit of cat ownership: a 'pet protective effect' against allergies and asthma, which has surfaced in some studies. Kids who grow up living with a cat appear 'less likely to develop allergy' to the animals, which, like other allergies, can be a trigger for asthma, said Matthew S. Perzanowski, an associate professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

養貓可能帶來的一個健康好處是：一種能夠抵禦過敏和哮喘的“寵物保護效應”，一些研究已經指出了這一效應。哥倫比亞大學梅爾曼公共衛生學院 (Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health)副教授馬修・S.帕札洛斯基(Matthew S. Perzanowski)說，那些和貓咪一起長大的孩子似乎“更不易對動物產生過敏”。動物跟其他過敏源一樣，可能會引發哮喘。

Humans can avoid other cat-related health problems by treating the animals properly to reduce the danger of attacks. For instance, if a cat shows signs of stress, such as putting its ears back, lashing its tail or crouching, people shouldn't approach it and should make sure it doesn't feel trapped, said Katie Lisnik, an official with the Humane Society of the United States.

通過正確對待貓咪來減少它們襲擊的危險，人類能夠避免其它與貓相關的健康問題。比如，美國人道協會(Humane Society of the United States)官員凱蒂・利斯尼克(Katie Lisnik)說，如果一隻貓表現出遭受壓力的跡象，如豎起耳朵向後折攏、擺動尾巴或蜷縮蹲伏，人們就不該接近它了，而且應該確保不要讓它覺得自己陷入了困境。

Indeed, Ida Lyke blames herself for the bite she got from her cat Sylvester. After she broke up his fight with another cat, Ms. Lyke, who lives in Claremont, Minn., and was also part of the Mayo study, tried to pick him up. He latched onto the bottom of her right hand. Ms. Lyke ended up in the hospital with a serious infection. Still, the 79-year-old kept Sylvester after the incident. 'He was just a lovable kitty,' she said.

的確如此，艾達・萊克(Ida Lyke)就因爲被自己的貓咪西爾維斯特(Sylvester)咬傷而感到自責。現居明尼蘇達州克萊爾蒙特(Claremont)的萊克也曾參與梅奧診所的那項研究。在萊克將打架鬥毆的西爾維斯特與另外一隻貓拉開以後，她試圖將他抱起來，他卻緊緊揪住了萊克的右手根部。萊克因而嚴重感染，最終不得不入院治療。即便如此，這位79歲高齡的老人在此次事故之後還是養着這隻貓。她說：“他只是一隻招人憐愛的小貓咪。”